Opinions: Epson 60600 vs. Mimaki JV300-160 for wraps?

[FatCat]

We've pretty much been a dedicated Mutoh shop since we opened, and now that our pair of 1624x printers are approaching the 3-year mark, it's time to upgrade. Not going back to Mutoh because AFAIK 3rd party ink isn't available yet, and Mutoh has increased the price drastically on these new versions.

So, instead of 2 single head printers, wanting to go to a dual head machine for added speed and take up less space.

Either way we go, the machines would be setup for dual CMYK for best speed.

So, while I know I can't do 3rd party ink on the Epson, I do hear lots of good stuff about their print quality (and I have seen this in person as well) and their ease of use. Ink cost doesn't look terrible, but the one caveat is they don't seem to be real friendly about working on them yourself? (Really don't want to pay a tech to come in every time something needs done - which was the main reason I've stayed with Mutoh - I can work on them and do just about everything they typically need fixed.)

The Mimaki JV300-160 has been out a few years, but I haven't heard a lot about them from guys that do wraps. I know they are fast and "assume" print quality is good - but would appreciate feedback from anyone using this machine to do wraps.

Any and all advice welcome, just starting to research this before we pull the trigger this year.

Thanks!

 

[Solventinkjet]

but the one caveat is they don't seem to be real friendly about working on them yourself?

Everything in the VJ1624 that touches ink is Epson designed so I think you will find working on the Epson, and the Mimaki for that matter, will be similar. Epson does tend to jam things into small spaces so they can be harder to work on in that regard. The thing you will find hardest to find is the utility software for changing heads etc. They keep that under lock and key much more than other manufacturers.

Mimaki just came out with the JV330 as well BTW. You might be interested in the new features that it has to offer or you might be able to get a better deal on the JV300 as it's technically the older version now.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I do some partial wraps and some decent sized graphics on trucks with our 150. The print quality is good and it's a pretty basic design. I wouldn't want something that I was locked out for repairs unless there were no other options.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Everything in the VJ1624 that touches ink is Epson designed so I think you will find working on the Epson, and the Mimaki for that matter, will be similar. Epson does tend to jam things into small spaces so they can be harder to work on in that regard. The thing you will find hardest to find is the utility software for changing heads etc. They keep that under lock and key much more than other manufacturers.

Mimaki just came out with the JV330 as well BTW. You might be interested in the new features that it has to offer or you might be able to get a better deal on the JV300 as it's technically the older version now.

Are they going to phase out the JV150/300? Does the new one run SS21 ink and epson heads still?

 

[Solventinkjet]

Are they going to phase out the JV150/300? Does the new one run SS21 ink and epson heads still?

The JV150/300 series is not yet on the end of sale list but I wouldn't be surprised if it shows up there soon. We just sold 3 units this month so they definitely still have them in stock and I haven't received a memo on them yet. You can still use the SS21 inks and I believe it has 2 i1600 Epson heads based on the specs. Unfortunately I don't get to see mechanical drawings until I get trained officially.

 

[rjssigns]

Mimakis in the lab print great. Two dual head and one print/cut. I just don't care for the complicated menus, loading new materials and other things that escape me right now.
Mimaki sheet cut: If you don't advance the media the tiniest bit you can't access the menu to sheet cut.
Then it's a bunch of button pressing to get be able to cut but you have to press enter once you get there.
Mutoh has a button labeled Cut and hold down for 2 seconds.

Dual head Mimakis have cleaning solution carts that are constantly running out. Then the printer chirps until you press enough buttons to silence the alarm.
Why don't you just buy more cleaning carts and have them on hand? Because they're expensive and only 220ml. Lead man has taken to buying bulk cleaning solution and filling carts with a big syringe.

That's just a couple of the things that add up to an overall irritating experience. Now if you run full rolls all the time some of the annoying stuff is minimized. But in the grand scheme seconds turn into minutes, minutes to hours and hours to days of lost productivity.

IMO, screw the third party ink and get something that is stupid simple to run. Find the machine with the easiest loading method(it ain't Mimaki) and easiest sheet cut. If you have to press more than one button for either task go look at something else.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Mimakis in the lab print great. Two dual head and one print/cut. I just don't care for the complicated menus, loading new materials and other things that escape me right now.
Mimaki sheet cut: If you don't advance the media the tiniest bit you can't access the menu to sheet cut.
Then it's a bunch of button pressing to get be able to cut but you have to press enter once you get there.
Mutoh has a button labeled Cut and hold down for 2 seconds.

Dual head Mimakis have cleaning solution carts that are constantly running out. Then the printer chirps until you press enough buttons to silence the alarm.
Why don't you just buy more cleaning carts and have them on hand? Because they're expensive and only 220ml. Lead man has taken to buying bulk cleaning solution and filling carts with a big syringe.

That's just a couple of the things that add up to an overall irritating experience. Now if you run full rolls all the time some of the annoying stuff is minimized. But in the grand scheme seconds turn into minutes, minutes to hours and hours to days of lost productivity.

IMO, screw the third party ink and get something that is stupid simple to run. Find the machine with the easiest loading method(it ain't Mimaki) and easiest sheet cut. If you have to press more than one button for either task go look at something else.

I don't want to hijack this thread too much as I think you won't go wrong with the Epson or the Mimaki but good info above from an experienced Mimaki user. I just wanted to mention that you can run without the cleaning cartridge at all and it will still print. I have many customers who completely ignore the maintenance cartridge!

 

[rjssigns]

I don't want to hijack this thread too much as I think you won't go wrong with the Epson or the Mimaki but good info above from an experienced Mimaki user. I just wanted to mention that you can run without the cleaning cartridge at all and it will still print. I have many customers who completely ignore the maintenance cartridge!

Yup, they will still print without the cleaning cart. To add fuel to the fire. There's a reason Rasterlink is free.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I don't have any issue with rasterlink. For sheet cut, hit up or down once then cut pops on the screen, hit it then enter. It really doesnt take any longer than holding a button down for 2 seconds. Our cleaning cartridge lasts forever, it will prompt you to check the level every so often but as far as replacement, its not often. I keep one in because it's easy to do a head soak if you leave the thing sitting while you go off on vacation or whatever. Not much to loading either. I don't like waiting for the initial sheet scan and all that but it's the same as the Rolands and would assume any other printer.

 

[jfiscus]

We have been VERY happy with our Epson S60600 printers. (we have 3 now) They are super user-friendly, easy to set up, load and maintain.
We have not had any major problems out of ours, but we learned with our last generation Epsons (S70 series) that it is better to keep them all under warranty as long as possible.
If you have them under warranty they REALLY take care of you; overnighting parts and techs out the next morning to repair them.

 

[ArtdeVett]

Hi, does anyone already have a feeling about using the Mimaki JV330?

Thank you in advance for the info